Supervisors Safety Meetings Plan - SHEQXEL



Supervisor Safety Meetings Plan

TIPS AND CONSIDERATIONS

APPLICABILITY. THIS PLAN FOR SAFETY MEETINGS APPLIES TO ALL GENERAL INDUSTRY AND CONSTRUCTION WORKPLACES WHERE EMPLOYEES ARE OR MAY BE EXPOSED TO WORKPLACE HAZARDS.

Safety meetings are a method to communicate information to employees about hazards, how to avoid them, and how to respond when emergencies occur.

OSHA training requirements. Many federal safety and health rules contain requirements to train employees to identify workplace hazards and avoid or protect themselves from them. A few requirements are very prescriptive (e.g., detailed steps to certification), but most are "performance-based" in that they set qualitative goals (e.g., effective, lead to understanding, demonstrate proficiency) that allow the employer to determine the best way to meet the training requirements.

For example, according to the OSHA construction standard for safety training and education at 29 CFR 1926.21, the employer must establish programs for the “education and training of employers and employees in the recognition, avoidance, and prevention of unsafe conditions. The employer must instruct each employee in the recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions and the regulations applicable to his work environment to control or eliminate any hazards or other exposure to illness or injury.”

Safety meetings vs. formal training programs. Safety meetings are not a substitute for formal employee training programs. The meetings supplement the formal training programs and may introduce new information and procedures that are not initially covered in formal training sessions. In cases where OSHA regulations do not prescribe refresher training procedures, the safety meetings can fulfill requirements or policies for refresher training.

Supervisor Safety Meetings Plan

PLAN LAST UPDATED:

Scope: This Plan covers all employees who are or may be exposed to recognized hazards in the workplace.

Policy: This organization recognizes that a well-ordered flow of information between management and individual employees is vital to the success of the safety program. It is our policy to build safety awareness, education, and participation of employees through formal training programs which will be supplemented with safety meetings at all levels of the organization.

Plan Administration

PLAN ADMINISTRATOR. THE PLAN ADMINISTRATOR (ADMINISTRATOR) WILL ENSURE THAT SAFETY AND HEALTH HAZARD ASSESSMENTS, INSPECTIONS, ACCIDENT INVESTIGATIONS, EMPLOYEE TRAINING, AND SAFETY MEETINGS ARE CONDUCTED IN A TIMELY MANNER, AND WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAINTAINING ALL RECORDS AND OTHER DOCUMENTATION RELATED TO SUCH ACTIVITIES. THE ADMINISTRATOR WILL PROVIDE SUPERVISORS AND OTHER EMPLOYEES WHO PROVIDE SAFETY TRAINING AND INFORMATION TO EMPLOYEES WITH SAFETY MEETING TOPICS APPROPRIATE TO WORK ACTIVITIES AND RECOGNIZED WORKPLACE HAZARDS.

The Administrator may designate or authorize other personnel to implement the provisions of this Plan.

Supervisors. Supervisors will regularly monitor work areas and employee activities for unsafe incidents or equipment, and take the initiative to make corrections where authorized to do so. He or she will conduct safety meetings at the intervals specified in this Plan and at his orher discretion. Supervisors will make sure that new employees know all safety, health, and housekeeping rules to which their jobs are subject.

Employees. All employees will:

• Participate actively in the facility’s safety program.

• Observe all safety measures.

• Attend all safety meetings.

• Report all accidents.

• Correct or report any safety hazard in his or her work area.

• Wear the proper personal protective equipment (PPE).

Plan Review and Update

This Plan will be reviewed periodically and updated as needed to reflect changes in the work and/or worksite conditions, and when injury or illness incidents warrant a review.

Safety Meetings Program

A SAFETY MEETING WILL INCLUDE ALL EMPLOYEES IN A WORK AREA AND AT LEAST ONE MANAGER OR SUPERVISOR TO ENSURE THAT ALL APPROPRIATE ISSUES ARE ADDRESSED.

Covered Employees

All employees who are exposed or likely to be exposed to recognized workplace hazards are required to attend safety meetings. Employees designated to provide first aid and other emergency response services are also required to attend.

Meeting Schedule

Supervisors will conduct regular safety meetings for employees [frequency, e.g., daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly, quarterly] and at other times to discuss safety issues as they occur. Topics for safety meetings will be scheduled to provide reasonable deadlines for the trainer and presenters to prepare the meetings. The schedule of topics will ensure that over a period of time the full spectrum of potential safety and health hazards will be covered.

Flexibility in meeting schedule. The schedule will permit some variation in how the hazards and the means of reducing risk are presented, and be flexible enough to allow for discussion of any current accidents or health hazards in the industry.

The schedule of selected topics may be preempted by:

• A recent event

• The availability of an exceptional speaker, including local safety, health, fire, or sanitation officials, consultants, insurance, or loss prevention professionals

• A video

• A special demonstration

Multiple Work Shifts

Where there are multiple work shifts, the meeting will be repeated for each shift or be held at a place and time that will ensure all affected employees are able to participate.

Meeting Duration

The duration of a safety meeting will vary by subject, ranging from several minutes for informational or “reminder” meetings to up to an hour for more complex subjects. A meeting may last up to 2 hours under special circumstances.

Meeting Structure Content

Agenda

Each meeting will be run according to an agenda prepared by the Administrator or designee. The agenda will provide for:

• Introductory warm-up

• Presentation of the topic(s)

• Use of visual aids, if appropriate

• Discussion period and opportunity to raise questions

• Concluding wrap-up

Where there is no written agenda, as with shorter weekly meetings, the supervisor will use a consistent approach to presenting the material, varied according to topic and the local need.

Content

After an introduction by the supervisor or manager, the main topic may be presented by a safety person, a trainer, a line supervisor, a guest speaker, or a representative of company management.

The presenter will cover one or more of the following issues:

• Review key safety topics.

• Review safety and health inspection reports to help correct safety hazards.

• Evaluate the accident investigations conducted since the last meeting to determine if the cause(s) of the unsafe situation was identified and corrected.

• Review any observed unsafe practices and ways to correct them.

• Reaffirm the need for safe work practices.

• Answer any questions that employees may have about a safe practice, equipment operation, or other safety-related issues.

Topic Selection

Topics for each safety meeting will be chosen on the basis of:

• A review of the most recent types of accidents and near-misses at the facility or within the same industry

• Related corporate safety goals

• Any particular subjects that need to be covered from a legal or insurance standpoint

• A basic list of safety topics to be reviewed

• OSHA-required training

• Suggestions from employees, safety inspectors, contractor safety representatives, insurance representatives, or other knowledgeable observers

Certain topics identified by the Administrator or designee will be repeated for reinforcement.

Supplemental Toolbox Talks

Formal safety meetings may be supplemented by “toolbox talks” ranging from 5 to 15 minutes long and conducted at the start of a work shift or other times as designated by a supervisor.

For certain operations such as maintenance and repair operations, a program of toolbox talks may be conducted at the start of a shift or, in the case of field operations, after rest breaks or lunch periods.

In toolbox talks the supervisor will emphasize:

• Company policy on safety

• Company concerns on the safety of individual employees who frequently work alone in maintenance work or in remote areas in field operations

• Recent accidents/injuries in this type of work

• Specific hazards encountered in this type of work and most effective ways to protect the employee

• Safety talks or films on specific subjects relative to this type of work

• Suggestions for improved, safer work practices

Construction Safety Meetings

Construction safety meetings may be conducted by contractor representatives, or joint meetings run by the Administrator or designee and the contractor.

Recordkeeping

EACH SAFETY MEETING WILL BE DOCUMENTED WITH AN ATTENDEE SIGN-IN SHEET AND A MEETING AGENDA THAT INCLUDES THE SUPERVISOR’S NAME, DATE OF MEETING, AND SUBJECT(S) COVERED. CONTRACTORS AND SUBCONTRACTORS MUST MAKE SUCH DOCUMENTATION AVAILABLE TO THE ADMINISTRATOR OR DESIGNEE UPON REQUEST.

Attachments

ATTENDEE SIGN-IN SHEET [ASSOCIATE WITH DOC #105908]

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